HOW TO: ORGANIZE YOUR FREEZER

I don't know about you, but about 3 weeks ago my small freezer started to get very disorganized. I found myself having no idea what was even in there! After my husband came home from the grocery store with tons of chicken one day thinking we were out, only to realize that we already had plenty I knew it was time to make a change.

I wanted to know exactly how much of each item we had so we didn't buy something just because the sparse grocery store shelves made us think we needed something we didn't.

1) CREATE A LIST OF CATEGORIES

While I would normally say to go ahead and empty the space, that's not super energy efficient for a freezer so I did a little leg work first so that the freezer only needed to remain open for short periods of time. My categories were: ice cream/ treats, butter/ cream cheese, frozen vegetables, ice packs, chicken, pork, frozen fruit, beef, misc. Toss anything that is expired or horribly freeze burned.

2) DETERMINE CATEGORY SIZE

I chose bins that fit the space and divided the space in a way that made sense for the categories I have and how much of each category I had.

3) MEASURE AND PURCHASE PRODUCT

Make sure you measure every single shelf. The depth of shelves on my freezer changed due to a light in the back. Also, see if you can shift around the spacing of the shelves. This allowed me to use the Multi Purpose Bins on two separate shelves which was super helpful. On the other shelf I used a medium Chancellor bin. My freezer had one drawer at the bottom, and it was the perfect size for the seafood. I used the door for small items such as frozen veggies, butter/ cream cheese and ice packs.

4) PLACE ITEMS INTO VESSELS

Pull out one category at a time and put into your chosen vessel. Be prepared to play a little Jenga! Just keep messing with it until it works. As I alluded to earlier, we had so much chicken when I first did this that some had to go in the pork container, but I was okay with that for the short term.

5) LABEL

I used the Target bin clip labels and they fit flawlessly on the Multi Purpose Bins. I also love how it makes the label really pop! I am torn on store bought Bin Clip Labels- I kind of feel like they are a waste of money. These were just over a dollar each, and while I do like the way it looks I don't think it's so superior than simply using a water based paint pen right on the bin. I did use a water based paint pen on the freezer itself to label.

This project was so quick and easy, and it had a really positive impact on our daily lives. It's really nice to know exactly what we have! The only tricky part of this project is purchasing the right bins, but honestly, isn't that the hardest part of most organizing projects?! If you're not sure which ones to get, interact with me on social media or email me at tryorganizing@gmail.com so we get your freezer looking fabulous!